New global reporting system for serious (product) events and adverse reactions in hematopoietic stem cell donation and transplantation.

Annually more than 21,000 volunteer unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donations are performed worldwide for patients with life-threatening diseases such as acute leukaemia. Donor safety issues and donor protection is one of the top priorities for the international cooperation of unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donor registries represented by the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). With this new global reporting system for serious events and adverse reactions (S(P)EARs), the WMDA aims to become the global leading online platform for hematopoietic stem cell donor organisations to report their S(P)EARs from both unrelated and family donors. Software developer Cogapp developed the platform using a Knack environment based on requirements of experienced reporters and reviewers. On July 1st WMDA launched a robust online reporting system for S(P)EARs in order to provide accurate information about potential risks to donors. The collected data about S(P)EARs occurring in donors will be analysed and used to provide statistics on the type of reports being submitted and to put in place best practices to mitigate such effects and occurrences. Via the annual S(P)EAR reports the results will be disseminated worldwide.

A proposed algorithm predictive for cytotoxic T cell alloreactivity.

Previously, we showed that with an increasing number of amino acid differences in single HLA class I-mismatched molecules, the probability of T cell alloreactivity decreases. It is unlikely that every amino acid difference will affect T cell alloreactivity in a similar way; we hypothesized that the effect of an amino acid difference may be dependent on its position and/or physicochemical properties. We selected 131 patient/donor pairs with either a single HLA-A or -C mismatch in the graft-versus-host direction and that were compatible for HLA-B, -DRB1, and -DQB1. The alloreactive CTL precursor (CTLp) frequency was determined and associated with the amino acid differences between the single HLA class I mismatches. In the ß sheet, only amino acids that are noncompatible in their physicochemical properties affect T cell alloreactivity, whereas in the α helices, both compatible and noncompatible amino acids affect CTLp outcome. Positions 62, 63, 73, 76, 77, 80, 99, 116, 138, 144, 147, and 163 were bivariately associated with CTLp outcome, irrespective of the total number of amino acid differences. In multivariate analysis, positions 62, 63, 73, 80, 116, 138, 144, and 163 were found to be most predictive for negative CTLp outcome. These results formed the basis for a weighted predictive mismatch score; pairs with the highest mismatch scores are estimated to be 13 times more likely to have a negative CTLp. This new algorithm may be a tool in donor selection for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Worldwide survey on key indicators for public cord blood banking technologies: By the World Marrow Donor Association Cord Blood Working Group.

The Cord Blood Working Group of the World Marrow Donor Association created a survey for cord blood banks (CBBs) aimed to identify and understand the main technical procedures currently used by public CBBs worldwide regarding cord blood units (CBUs) available for unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. These technical procedures include CBU collection, (pre-) processing, packaging, testing, storage, and transport. The survey was an online survey created with SurveyGizmo and was completed individually by each CBB at the end of 2017. The information is valuable to transplant centers, CBBs as well as the global industry of public cord blood banking. In general, we can conclude from this survey that the majority of CBBs are up to standard in terms of CBB technologies. Areas of improvement include accreditation, increase standardization in testing, and setting of total nucleated cells thresholds for acceptance of CBU for public use. Furthermore, there is a need for a consensus in the way CBBs operate in term of reservation and release to facilitate a more straightforward access to the therapy.